]! ^! Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards. 
]" ^" Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon ^# 2 00 N, 10 00 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 28,051 sq km `" 28,051 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Maryland ^' `! 539 km `Y Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km ^( 296 km ^) `$ 12 nm `N 200 nm ^* tropical; always hot, humid ^+ coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Pico Basile 3,008 m ^- petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay ^. `' 4.63% `( 3.57% `) 91.8% (2005) ^/ NA ^0 violent windstorms, flash floods ^1 tap water is not potable; deforestation _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 insular and continental regions widely separated 
]# ^3 551,201 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 41.5% (male 114,816/female 113,688) `, 54.8% (male 145,740/female 156,097) `- 3.8% (male 8,957/female 11,903) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 18.8 years `. 18.3 years `/ 19.4 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.015% (2007 est.) ^7 35.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 15.01 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.03 male(s)/female `1 1.01 male(s)/female `, 0.934 male(s)/female `- 0.752 male(s)/female `2 0.957 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 87.15 deaths/1,000 live births `. 93.17 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 80.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 49.51 years `. 48.11 years `/ 50.95 years (2007 est.) ^= 4.48 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 3.4% (2001 est.) ^? 5,900 (2001 est.) ^@ 370 (2001 est.) _` `h very high `i bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2007) ^A `3 Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) `4 Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean ^B Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish ^C nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices ^D Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 85.7% `. 93.3% `/ 78.4% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Equatorial Guinea `7 Equatorial Guinea `Z Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee equatoriale `[ Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale `\ Spanish Guinea ^H republic ^I `8 Malabo `9 3 45 N, 8 47 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas ^K 12 October 1968 (from Spain) ^L Independence Day, 12 October (1968) ^M approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 ^N partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) `< Prime Minister Ricardo Mangue Obama NFUBEA (since 14 August 2006); First Deputy Prime Minister Mercelino Oyono NTUTUMU (since 15 June 2004) `= Council of Ministers appointed by the president `> president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president `? Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud ^Q unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) `> last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) `? percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, CPDS 2 `* Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president ^R Supreme Tribunal ^S Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MIKO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Miguel Esono EMAN]; Popular Union or UP ^T NA ^U ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO (observer) ^V `R Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO `S 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 `T [1] (202) 518-5700 `U [1] (202) 518-5252 ^W `R Ambassador Donald C. JOHNSON `_ adjacent to the golf course at the base of Mont Febe; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon `` B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 `T [237] 220 15 00 `U [237] 220 16 20 ^X three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice) 
]% ^Y The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Government officials and their family members own most businesses. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2006, led by oil. Equatorial Guinea now has the third highest per capita income in the world, after Luxembourg and Bermuda. ^Z $25.69 billion (2005 est.) ^[ $7.644 billion (2005 est.) ^\ 18.6% (2005 est.) ^] $50,200 (2005 est.) ^^ `@ 2.8% `A 92.6% `B 4.5% (2006 est.) ^_ NA ^a 30% (1998 est.) _! NA% _" `C NA% `D NA% _# 5.2% (2006 est.) _V 34.1% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $2.752 billion `F $1.424 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 4.7% of GDP (2006 est.) _& coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber _' petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas _( 30% (2002 est.) _) 26 million kWh (2004) _* 24.18 million kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 420,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) _. 1,220 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _W 563.5 million bbl (1 January 2002) _1 100 million cu m (2004 est.) _2 100 million cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Z 36.81 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $175 million (2006 est.) _3 $8.961 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa _5 US 24.6%, China 21.8%, Spain 10.8%, Canada 7.3%, Taiwan 7.2%, Portugal 5.5%, Netherlands 5.2%, Brazil 4.6%, France 4% (2005) _6 $2.543 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 petroleum sector equipment, other equipment _8 US 24.5%, Italy 20.6%, France 12.1%, Spain 10.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.6%, UK 6.9% (2005) _[ $3.235 billion (2006 est.) _9 $289 million (2006 est.) _: $NA _; Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States _< Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 522.4 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 10,000 (2005) _? 96,900 (2005) _@ `G poor system with adequate government services `H NA `I country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) _A AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2002) _B 1 (2002) _C .gq _D 19 (2006) _E 5,000 (2005) 
]' _F 4 (2006) _G `! 3 `J 1 `b 1 `W 1 (2006) _R `! 1 `W 1 (2006) _^ condensate 46 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 47 km; oil 31 km (2006) _H `! 2,880 km (1999) _S `! 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 1,745 GRT/3,434 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2006) _I Malabo 
]( _J Army, Navy, Air Force (2005) _T 18 years of age (est.) (2004) _K males age 18-49: 104,563 females age 18-49: 109,923 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 56,462 females age 18-49: 59,260 (2005 est.) _U 0.1% (2006 est.) 
]) _N in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River and imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision delay final delimitation; UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane and lesser islands and to create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay __ `f Equatorial Guinea is a transit and destination country for women and children trafficked for forced labor, involuntary domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation from surrounding countries - primarily Benin, Nigeria, Mali, and Cameroon; victims work in the agricultural and commercial sectors of Malabo and Bata, where demand is high due to a booming oil sector; children work as farmhands, street vendors, or household servants; girls and women are also trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation `g Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide adequate evidence of concrete measures to address trafficking during 2005 